New zoning codes will go into effect

CALIFORNIA - A special ordinance passed at last night's Borough Council meeting will allow the community's new zoning codes to go into effect as planned.

The codes' implementation came into jeopardy when borough Solicitor Michael Savona received a letter from the Washington County Planning Commission.

The letter informed Savona that a required copy of a map had not been received along with the new codes.

"We sent the Commission a copy of... everything back in October," the solicitor said. "We got no response until now. If they had let us know back then that the map was missing ...we could have quickly sent a copy to them."

Savona added that the commission must have 30 days to review anything of this nature.... The commission had the 30 days necessary for the codes, but not for the missing map, he said.

Special amendments to an ordinance passed by council allowed the codes and the map to be regarded as two separate items. The codes can go into effect but the map will wait until the Jan. 12 session.

"In this way the borough doesn't incur any additional costs," said Savona, adding that if Council had not acted the borough could have incurred costs of $4,000 to $5,000.

In unrelated business, council voted to pay an additional $6,200 to settle a property dispute.... The dispute involved a parcel of land in Raccoon Hollow that the borough had taken by eminent domain.... The property was needed for the new storm system.